1. Technical Field
The invention relates to a novel approach to a roofing system using individual pieces of varying size simulated wood shakes, shingles or riles. It also relates to a novel composition of material composed of thermoplastic and additives improving its usefulness as a construction surfacing. It further relates to a novel design for improved performance as a roofing membrane, siding and decorative interior surfacing.
This invention is intended to provide for the use of low grade, off-specification, contaminated and/or commingled post consumer or industrial scrap plastic which can be recycled for extended service life as a molded, simulated, preferably split cedar, wood shake. Plastic consumption continues to increase and is becoming more of an issue with environmentalists, and federal, state and local governments. The reduction of available landfills and depletion of our natural resources, including oil and gas for plastic and trees for shake production, can be reduced by the successful reuse of thermoplastics recycled and converted to a second and third long term useful product. The intent and design of this invention is to provide for the manufacture of simulated plastic shakes, shingles and tiles derived from scrap plastic.
The problems with continuing to use forest products for shake and shingle production are depletion of resources and the inherent flaws of wood as a roofing material. Wood shakes do not provide for a good permanent edge seal. Wood shakes are subject to breaking when impacted, such as during a hail storm. Wood shakes do deteriorate with time. Wood shakes change color, turn moldy and are not fire proof.
The intent of this invention is to use scrap plastic molded into a simulated shake to overcome the deficiencies inherent with wood, thus reducing the depletion of our forests and reducing the amount of plastic scrap deposited in our landfills. This invention creates a profile surface similar to wood shakes with grain, knots and raised and grooved outer surfaces, providing the visual effect, through numerous patterns and sizes, of wood shakes. Being a molded product, the bottom or underside will be flat thus mating the substrate surface better than the rough underside of natural shakes. The underside of the molded shake will have lateral grooves equidistant apart forming a venturi area. This invention, being a molded product, will have one or more overlap areas with weather seal features, thus greatly improving the edge seal compared to wood shakes. This invention, manufactured from plastic, will improve the impact resistance of the shake roofing over wood or asphalt materials thus reducing the frequency of repair or replacement of damaged roofing by hail and winds. This invention, being plastic, is virtually non-degradable verses wood and asphalt. Additives can be incorporated into the plastic shake such as color stabilizers and ultraviolet inhibitors for extended service life. Other additives are fungicides, if necessary, and fire retardant to such a level that the plastic will not promote a flame. Other additives such as organic fillers or foaming agents could be added to reduce or increase the shake weight and fibers can add to the strength of the plastic shake.
This invention and novel design will replace wood shakes without requiring skilled labor to install it. This invention with its uniform, interlocking, overlapping, individual part design will only require a laborer skilled in conventional construction procedures. Special tools, such as such as splitting axes, are not needed because a common hammer, stapler and saws are used the same as with wood.
The utility of this manufactured shake from scrap plastic thus will reduce plastic going to landfills and extend the useful life of the plastic. The rigidity of this plastic shake will replace wood and asphalt products thus reducing the demand for wood products from our forests and oil for asphalt.
The term "Shake", embodied herein, will refer to commonly recognized terms such as wooden shake, shingle, slate or tile and can substitute the term shake where printed. Additionally the term "Surfacing" will be used to refer to exterior roofing, siding and decorations and also to interior wall decorative construction applications.
2. Description of the Prior Art
This invention relates particularly to simulated wood shake, shingle and tile surfacing used for roofing, siding and decoration. Cedar shakes have a natural attractiveness as a roofing and siding material and have been used for years. Unfortunately, the shakes are expensive and require experienced labor to install. Cedar shakes are obtained from a diminishing forest supply. Wooden shakes do not provide for a good weather seal at abutting joints, instead multiple layers overlapped to achieve a weatherproof surface. Wooden shakes deteriorate requiring a treatment with preservative every 3 to 5 years. Additionally, wooden shakes are fragile and can be damaged, particularly by hail, and have little or no fire rating, which makes it a greater insurance risk and forces higher insurance premiums for the owners of shake surfaced structures.
The above flaws in wooden shakes have given rise to a number of manmade synthetic simulated shakes. The body of art, simulating shakes, are make from materials such as cement, asbestos composition, Fiberglass, aluminum, galvanized steel and sophisticated expensive engineered thermoplastics.
Prior art simulated shingles suffer from one or more design or manufacturing deficiencies. The desired aesthetics of individual natural shake roof or siding can not be duplicated by simulated panel construction. In an attempt to reduce high labor cost involved in wooden shake installation, expensive simulated wood shake panels are manufactured for easier labor installation. Unfortunately, the panels referred to herein do present a repetitive pattern thus never duplicating individual varying size shakes.
The following patents and commercial products all have the same design and manufacturing deficiency. All, heretofore prior art, products are of a paneled construction, repeating the decorative surface. The prior art varies from each other only by size (length, height, thickness), materials used in the manufacturing thereof, fastening methods for installation and weather sealing of joint areas.
Commercially available products, to date, are all panel designs. One is a press formed asphalt with the addition of metal spacers and fastener clips. Another is a structural foam panel coated with a sheet or film of ultraviolet stability. Still another is a stamp formed plastic sheet with a heavy surface design but still it has a repetitive pattern. Yet another plastic roof panel is infection molded from an expensive engineered plastic resin and although it is reported to be able to injection mold this panel with recycled industrial plastic scrap, secondary treatment of painting, for color, and a ultraviolet coating must be applied to make this product weatherproof in exterior roof applications.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,610,902 is a bitumen material, an inexpensive acceptable construction material but the manufacturing process includes the step of laminating a film to both surfaces thus introducing a second manufacturing process and possible bond failure between the dissimilar materials. The corrugated surface design is desirable for this patent but reference is made therein of simulated wood shake patterns which would be repetitive.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,603,529 is a long rectangular wedge shaped panel with an interlocking longitudinal strip and corresponding groove. This patent is definitely a repeating pattern panel and requires a felt between courses to weather seal butt joints, which is not standard construction practice.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,598,522 claims it can be manufactured from plastic by injection molding and vacuum forming although vacuum forming requires a secondary forming process to produce interlocking hold down tabs. It is proposed as a panel which would result in a repeating pattern.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,015,391 claims to be a molded panel with a hollow air space underneath the panel to form the tapered design of a shake. The air space is reinforced with random structural ribbing to support the panel. This patent presents the most natural simulation of cedar shake appearance in the design of irregular leading edge design treatment by having one or more of the shake patterns, in the panel, extend further over the overlapping panel course but it is still a panel with repeating patterns.